The eyes have it: Seeking expressions of the genetic risk for developing ...( a of drinking? We need to know this in...)

a of drinking? We need to know this in order to devise therapies that address the actions of alcohol on the brain." He called the study's identification of brain functions (the control of eye movement at a subconscious level) that are both influenced by genetic factors (the family history of alcoholism) and show responses to alcohol "an incremental yet important step toward understanding genetic influences on alcohol's effects on the brain."

Crabb said these findings may one day have practical applications, such as developing a battery of easy-to-use measures of risk. "We could test children of alcoholics," he said. "Perhaps combining the results of the eye movement tests in young people with other measures would predict their risk of alcoholism or other alcohol problems. If we could accurately tell people if they are at a higher or lower risk of alcoholism based on their test results, this could influence some people to reduce their drinking."

O'Connor said it's important for the field of alcohol research to continue to examine the question: "What does alcohol have to do with an increased risk for alcoholism?" His own research plans include quantifying the degree to which genes influence responses to alcohol, examining how other brain functions respond to alcohol, and expanding those studies to include experimental control of how quickly alcohol reaches and leaves the brain.

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15-Oct-2002

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